MOSCOW (AP) -- Speaking from Russia, Ukraines ousted leader urged his citizens Friday to press for a vote to determine the status of their regions -- a call echoing the Kremlins push to turn Ukraine into a loosely knit federation.The statement from Viktor Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian leader who fled to Russia last month after three months of protests, raised the threat of further instability in Ukraines Russian-speaking eastern provinces, where many resent the new Ukrainian government.Deep divisions between Ukraines Russian-speaking eastern regions, where many favor close ties with Moscow, and the Ukrainian-speaking west, where most want to integrate into Europe, continue to fuel tensions.The Crimea Peninsula, where ethnic Russians are a majority, voted this month to secede from Ukraine before Russia formally annexed it, a move that Western countries have denounced as illegitimate.
Reported by MyNorthwest.com 4 hours ago.
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